Tag Archives: Aussie

australia, lifestyle

OK, but first coffee

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When you think about Australia and more specifically when you think about Australians… what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I mean as a stereotype, as a clichĂ©?! Before I moved to Australia, I thought that Aussies were all surfers and crazy about surfing mostly… that was THE thing! But then I moved to Adelaide and I realised that one of the most important thing for Australians is actually…. wait for it…. COFFEE!

They drink a LOT of coffee… and forget about Starbucks, because here it is not just about the coffee, but also about the cute little place where you enjoy your latte, the friendly and talented barista who knows you well and the vibes and atmosphere! For those who know me… I know what you’re thinking… V you don’t even drink coffee, what are you talking about?! Well I am a Chai Latte lover… so generally where there is good coffee, there is a good barista and de facto there is a good Chai, it is as simple as that 😉 And you know me, I like to discover new cafĂ©s and to blog about it… I have always this crazy fantasy that I am going to have my local cafĂ© where I am going to be a regular… Long story short : a bit like the Girlmore GirlsTV show with “Luke’s dinner” except that Lorelai did the mistake to date Luke, big time, and then they broke up so it was very awkward she could not go there for a while and she was really missing the coffee, hugeeeeeee mistake (lol, that was a wink for the TV show fans).

I know that some of you cried a river when the very hipster Tin Cat CafĂ© closed but maybe this will cheer you up if I tell you that a new tenant has taken over : The black addition. Sounds promising for coffee lovers, isn’t it?! And this is quite an interesting story since it was formerly a mobile coffee business which was pretty successful on the road…on various private and corporate events… so busy that they were hard to catch… it is like when the fun fair arrives in town and you have all those colours, those lovely smells and you just follow the music hoping not to miss the show!  Actually they were so successful that some fans even made the secret wish that someday the 2 owners would settle down so it would be easier to find them and enjoy one of  their delicious coffees and this wish came true!

So at the moment, they are operating in the former Tin Cat Café in Kent Town. The two lovely owners Alison and Sean (a couple) are experts in the latte art and even host Barista classes in their lovely little café! I had a Chaï Latte and it was absolutely delicious with coconut milk and it tasted different from what I am used to and I really enjoyed it! As for the coffee, because I wanted to give a fair review, I went to this place with my coffee expert friend : the lovely Jessica from Mexico (and god this girl lovesssss coffee and can be fussy about it lol) and she really enjoyed it, she said it was sensational!


And cherry on the cake they are opened until 7pm! And believe me this is something to definitely mention! You know, as every good french, I like to complain and one of my recurrent complaining topic is that in this city everything closes at 5pm so it is like nothing is opened for people who basically work during weekdays… so this is nice to feel welcome in this cute little place after work for a comforting cup of coffee while watching life passing by. They also collaborate with other catering businesses so they can offer a nice range of yummy cakes and pastries. I have not tried them yet but I definitely intend to go back and it might even become my local ! And if you are in the mood to give this place a go, they also offer breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea so it is definitely a nice weekend plan! The two owners are absolutely lovely and will make you one of the best coffee in town ❀

What about you? Are you tea or coffee drinkers? Any nice cafĂ©s to recommend me?!!!! oh… I already know what you are about to say… OK V, but first coffee 😉

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The Black Addition

107 Rundle Street

Kent Town SA 5067

Tel : +61 4 0174 3962

 

australia, food

Spread the love

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When it comes to spread, Americans have peanut butter, Europeans have Nutella and Australians have Vegemite!

Vegemite has a special and unique flavour. It is like the sword in the stone: only true Aussie hearts can enjoy it 😉 So I took my chance and bought a pot of this Australian sacred delight. This is how bad I ❀ Australia!

Vegemite is a kind of brown paste, very thick and dark in colour like waste oil. To me it smells like a loaf bread which stayed all the morning on a table outside a beach house. As for the taste, it was nothing like I would have imagined, it is VERY salty…  maybe as salty as the sea but with a kind of meat juice flavour.

 It is really a hit in Australia: people enjoy it on their toasts, in their sandwiches, crumpets…  I must confess I wanted to like it too so I really tried hard: spread on a toast (Ew), with tomatoes (Ew), with cucumbers (Ew), with walnuts (Ew). Nothing worked and it was so salty that I spent the whole night drinking water like if I had walked hours in the desert. I am sorry but honestly I did not like it at all 😩 it has a weird taste and the texture is not easy to work, I had difficulties to spread it!

Maybe there is something I am not doing right or maybe the legend is true: you have to be born and raised in Oz world to fully appreciate Vegemite, if not you are condemned to keep an horrible taste in the mouth and looking with envy at Aussie people savouring the mythical black paste as it was the best treat in the world!

What about you, are you a vegemite addict? Do you have any tips to enjoy it? Any techniques? I am curious to hear about it 😉

australia, lifestyle

Do you speak Aussie?

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If you are a Games of Thrones fan, you must be familiar with the following sentence “you know nothing Jon Snow”… well this is the way I feel sometimes about my English. I thought that my universtity English degree, my previous lives in Montreal and London had afforded me to gain a wide knowledge of this beautiful language but it seems it is a never ending journey! But today let’s focus on the positive side only: learning a foreign language is like following the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz where each day is an adventure, an opportunity to discover and to learn more!

Actually when I moved to Adelaide I realized that there were many words and expressions (slang) I did not know! Furthermore, it seems that my French accent is SO strong that there is no way I could be mistaken for an Aussie girl… no matter how hard I try, when I open my mouth they instantly know I am French! Sometimes I wonder… why do French people sound so French?! Since I can’t really do anything about it, let’s focus on the former topic: Aussie slang!

Shortly after I moved to Adelaide, I made friend with my neighbour and enjoyed our daily conversations about the city, Australia, wildlife etc… even if sometimes he talked too fast and I could not catch the meaning of everything. One day he told me how popular the Aussie barbies were and that I should try. I thought he was talking about the Barbie plastic dolls (creepy…. why would he tell me that, I am not a kid anymore and what do Aussie Barbie dolls have that French ones don’t haha)… or maybe he was referring to bimbos, blondies (still creepy…why saying I should try?). So I got curious and asked him for more details (afterall maybe I was just lost in translation), I wanted to know what he liked about it… then I heard the word “shrimp” and the conversation went on and I learnt this day that a barbie is a barbecue, not a doll neither a bimbo nore a blondie!

Do you know what is a breakie? First time, I heard this word… I thought it was related to “break something”…  do I want a breakie? Is somebody going to break my leg? Is it an Australian custom? Well don’t worry, if you see this expression on a cafe menu… nobody is going to break you anything, it just means: breakfast! In my opinion it is a good word to know here and speaking of it I know the perfect place where  to enjoy a delicious Aussie breakie!

One day in English class, one of our teachers William asked us if we have been bothered by the mozzies during the warm and humid weekend. Because of the lesson topic, we knew he was talking about an animal but what kind of beast was that? The word sounded to me like a “mouse” but with a “S” so something like “mouses” but then I thought it can’t be, because the plural is “mice” (congrats these English classes are paying off)! A girl from Japan said that this animal did not exist in her country and William smiled  and said he doubted it! Actually mozzies mean mosquitos!

After 6 months living in Australia, I can’t declare I am fluent in Aussie slang yet but I am working on it because I like it here and I really want to fit in! So to prove my love to Australia, I am going to write something that only Australians can understand:

G’day, I started my morning with a lovely breakie and wrote some emails to my relies. Then I was invited by my aussies mates to a seafood barbie. I hope there will not be too many mozzies tonight at the party! No worries! Ta ❀